User blog:Deathblade 100/Collab with Red Krystals: Araluen Ranger Corps (Ranger's Apprentice) vs Assassins Order (Assassin's Creed)
Okay, this is a battle that I've been planning for some time. The Araluen Ranger Corps- The top secret intelligence force, that defended Araluan from internal and external threats. VS The Assassins Order- The centuries old Order, that opposed the Templars. WHO...IS...DEADLIEST? To find out the history of war and modern science collide, as we test the weapons and tactics used by these legends of war. We dissect their strengths and weaknesses for an all new battle to the death. No rules, no safety, no mercy. It's a duel to the death to find out who is the Deadliest Warrior. Araluen Ranger Corps (represented by Deathblade) The Araluen Ranger Corps '''was a special scouting and security force that acts on behalf of the King. There are Fifty Rangers in charge of Araluen's fifty fiefs (regions). They are chosen at the age of fifteen and are trained for five years. The Ranger Corps was founded during King Herbert's reign, 150 years before the Second Araluen Civil War. King Herbert is also known as the founder of modern Araluen. The Ranger Corps was reformed by Halt and Crowley after Halt left Hibernia. The group is considered an elite intelligence and reconnaissance force. During the later reign of King Oswald, a number of ambitious barons started to take over the ruling of the country because the king's mind was old and compromised. They had Prince Duncan sent to a far corner of Araluen and then started to get rid of the loyal and potentially dangerous rangers such as Crowley's mentor Pritchard. These Rangers were banished and replaced with unqualified noblemen who gained entrance to the Corps by paying a pension. Crowley and Halt meet during this time; both were Pritchard's pupils and taught as Rangers should be. Together they decided to revitalize the Ranger Corps and bring an end to the barons slowly taking over the country and making it fall into ruin. Weapons: The Rangers defend Araluan with: |-| Long Range= '''Longbow *Range: 300 meters *Material: Wood *Draw Weight: 50 LB *Length: 5 feet *Ammunition: 24 Arrows |-| Mid Range= Longsword *Length: 3 feet *Weight: 5 LB *Material: Steel *Used by Gilan only |-| Close Range= Saxe Knife *Length: 2 feet *Weight: 4 LB *Material: Folded Steel *Can dent sword blades without taking any damage *Can be thrown Throwing Knife *Length: 1.5 feet *Weight: 2 LB *Material: Folded Steel *Can be thrown |-| Special= Strikers *Range: 20 meters *Length: 2.5 feet *Weight: 10 LB *Material: Brass, Lead |-| Armour= Studded Leather *Weight: 2 LB *Material: Leather, Iron |-| Personal X-Factor= Camouflage Cloak *Mottled grey-green colouration helps break up the Ranger's shape *Can become nearly invisible to the naked eye Leader Gilan is different than most Rangers, because he was born into knighthood, therefore used to formal drills and swordsmanship. He trained with the legendary MacNeil, who was one of Araluen's most renowned swordsman. Therefore, Gilan also uses the sword, which is not a common Ranger's weapon. Gilan is an expert with the blade, being one of best swordsmen in Araluen, he can wield his sword with both his left and right hand. Gilan is described as a young, junior Ranger and is most likely between the ages of 21 and 23 during The Ruins of Gorlan. He is also described as dashing, handsome, humorous, slightly un-worrying, and unusually tall for a member of the typically short Ranger Corps. Gilan rides a bay mare named Blaze, who is very similar to himself, being longer in the leg than most ranger horses. He is also accounted as the best in the Corps at concealed movement. Gilan is a very good friend to Will, and gives him advice and guidance, as he proved in Erak's Ransom when he told Will all about his own apprenticeship to Halt. The first fief he was posted to was Meric Fief, later he was appointed Ranger of Norgate Fief, then eventually to Whitby, one of the most important fiefs in all of Araluen. Expert's Opinion I believe the Rangers will win. They have a much better long ranged weapon and with the long hours of training and almost inhuman skill of aiming and reloading their bows will easily pin down the Assassins before they can react. While their knives may not be as long as the Assassins' swords, they are made of a more superior metal and when used together, can be used to disable and dent sword blades without taking any damage in return. Despite what Red Krystals might say, the Rangers have dealt with near supernatural creatures such as the Wargals and the feared Kalkara as well as men like Morgarath and have even dealt with assassins like the Geneovesans meaning they will easily defeat anything the Assassins Order can bring to the game. Assassins (represented by Red Krystals) The Assassin Order or Assassin Brotherhood, also known as Liberalis Circulum (Circle of Liberals) during Roman times, or Hashashins during the High Middle Ages, was an organized order of assassins and sworn enemies of the Templars, against whom they fought a continuous, secret war, throughout the entirety of recorded Whereas the Templars strove for the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassins fought to ensure the survival of free will, as it allowed for progression of ideas and the growth of individuality. The Assassins, if not the order itself, had existed since at least 456 B.C.E., throughout the Roman era, the Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution and into the 21st century. The order believed in a strong set of values that strictly governed their way of life. They never kill innocents, compromise their fellow assassins, and always attempt to remain stealthy while on mission. These tenets permeated every aspect of the daily life, as well as their fight for "peace in all things." The Assassins carried out their duties through politicial, stragetic assassination, in hope that killing one individual would lead to the salvation of thousands. The Assassins believed that they fought on the behalf of those who did not possess the abilities, resources, or knowledge to speak against those that abused their power. Weapons: The Assassins counter their opponents with: |-| Long Range= Crossbow *Range: 100 meters *Material: Wood, Steel *Draw Weight: 70 LB *Length: 4 feet *Ammunition: 18 bolts |-| Mid Range= Longsword *Length: 4 feet *Weight: 5 LB *Material: Steel Sword of Altair *Length: 3 feet *Weight: 4 LB *Material: Steel *Used by Ezio |-| Close Range= Short Sword *Length: 2.5 feet *Weight: 4 LB *Material: Folded Steel |-| Special= Hidden Blade *Length: 1.5 feet *Weight: 2 LB *Material: Steel |-| Armour= Studded Leather *Weight: 2 LB *Material: Leather, Iron |-| Personal X-Factor= Eagle Vision *Able to identify friends from foes *Passive ability Parkour *Effective in urban environment *Quickest way of moving from A to B Leader Ezio Auditore da Firenze was a Florentine nobleman during the Renaissance and, unbeknownst to most historians and philosophers, the Mentor of the Italian branch of the Assassin Order, a title he held from 1503 to 1512. He was also an ancestor to Desmond Miles and Clay Kaczmarek. A member of the House of Auditore, Ezio remained unaware of his Assassin heritage until the age of 17, when he witnessed the hanging of his father and two brothers, Federico and Petruccio. Forced to flee his birthplace with his remaining family members - his mother and sister - Ezio took refuge in the Tuscan town of Monteriggioni with his uncle Mario, at the Villa Auditore. After learning of his heritage from his uncle, Mario Auditore, Ezio began his Assassin training and set about on his quest for vengeance against the Templar Order, and their Grand Master, Rodrigo Borgia, who had ordered the execution of his kin. During his travels, Ezio managed to not only unite the pages of the Codex, written by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, but also to save the cities of Florence, Venice, and Rome from Templar rule. He ensured the future travels of Christoffa Corombo to the "New World", liberated Rome from Borgia rule, and prevented the rise to power of Ercole Massimo's Cult of Hermes, helping spread the Renaissance and Assassin ideals of independence and free thought throughout Italy. In the years that followed, Ezio began a quest to rediscover the lost history of the Order. Traveling to the aged fortress of Masyaf in order to learn more of the Assassins before him, he discovered it overrun with Templars and made his way to the city of Constantinople to uncover the location of the Masyaf keys which, as he discovered, would unlock the fortress's fabled hidden library when brought together. Expert's Opinion The Assassins will likely come out on top of this battle due to being more suited to a city based environment. They're weapons are also more balanced for both long and close range. They are almost more experienced fighting enemies such as the knights templar an expert and well-trained group of knights in comparison to the Rangers who while trained are armed only with a longbow which while a deadly weapon will be next to useless at close range. They're only weapons beside those are two knives and while the saxe knife is well made it is shorter than the sword and cannot block a sword strike by itself requiring a secondary knife as well and mainly Rangers face enemies like brigands and bandits who are nowhere as deadly as a fully-trained knight. Weapons Evaluation Long Range: Rangers. Their longbow will easily defeat the crossbow due to the Rangers practicing for years on end. This makes the Rangers seem almost superhuman in their accuracy and reloading time. Mid Range: Assassins. Sure Gilan is a skilled swordsman, but he's only one man. Nearly all of the Assassins are skilled with swords but, Gilan is the only Ranger who has any training with a sword. Close Range: Rangers. The Saxe Knife is effectively a short sword itself and coupled with the throwing knife can easily deflect/parry the attacks delivered by the Assassins. Add to the equation both knives are made of tempered folded steel makes this an easy win. Special: Assassins. While the Strikers are projectile weapons, they're designed to stun not kill. The Hidden Blade is lethal. Armour: Draw. Both have the same armour. X-Factors Total X-Factors Battle Assassins: Rangers: Castle Araluen, Araluen Fief Gilan watched the group of five white robed men with suspicion. He'd seen them moving around the city throughout the past five days. Frowning, Gilan turned back to his office before sighing. Being Ranger Commandant had a lot of responsibility and that paperwork wasn't going to get itself done. That afternoon Ezio and his four assassins left the city in a crowd. Detaching from the rest of the group, the Assassins turned off into the nearby forest to set up camp. They had been scouting out the city to find traces of Templar influence and had recently found evidence that the king of Araluen, Duncan, had been in contact with members of the Templar order in the Arridi city of Al Shabah. Ezio and his men sat down to plot out their assault. Next day As Gilan and four other Rangers, whom he had called to the city, split up and started to patrol the streets for the five assassins, a crossbow bolt arced down from a building and hit a Ranger in the neck. As the two Assassins scattered, one of the Rangers sent a grey shafted arrow from his longbow and pierced one of the Assassins in the back of the heart. . Gilan turned and noticing Ezio and one of the assassins heading towards the castle, called another Ranger to assist him. The Ranger who was pursuing one of the assassins, chases him into the nearby forest. Hearing rustling, the Ranger pulls the cowl of his distinct mottled cloak over his head and settles into the dense foliage. An assassin getting chased by a Ranger runs down a nearby alleyway before jumping off both walls before landing behind his pursuer and cutting him down with a strike from his longsword. A glint of brass reached the corner of the assassin's eye before, a striker came flying into the side of his head. A throwing knife made its way into the assassin's neck. The Ranger retrieved his knife before linking back up with Gilan to stop Ezio. In the forest, the assassin started to head back towards the city confident he had managed to throw off his pursuer. As he makes his way to the edge of the forest, two grey shafted arrows came out of the shade. The assassin threw himself out of the way of the projectiles. Drawing his short sword, the assassin swung down at the Ranger, who quickly drew both his Saxe and throwing knives and crossed the blades into an 'X' shape. The assassin recoiled and noticed his sword's blade was dented from the impact. Just as he processed this, the assassin felt a burning sensation in his ribs before collapsing. The Ranger withdrew his Saxe Knife and headed back into the city. As the remaining Rangers ran up the spiral staircase in one of the castle's tower, a thrust from a short sword kills one of the Araluens. The second last Ranger quickly fires three arrows at the wall of the stairs, wounding the second last Assassin. Gilan drew his longsword and swapping it into his left hand, curved the blade up the stairwell and punctured the assassin's armour. The second Ranger ran up the stairwell, only for Ezio to plunge the Sword of Altair through the Araluen's armour and into his heart. Gilan runs up the stairs longsword drawn and clashes with Ezio. The two exchange blows before, Gilan disarms Ezio of the Sword of Altair. As Gilan moves in for the kill, Ezio rolls out of the way of the downwards strike and, unsheathing it in the process, drives his Hidden Blade into the Ranger's neck. Ezio kneels down to the dead Ranger's side and, retracting his Hidden Blade, mutters "Requiscat in Pace", before retrieving his Sword and going off to eliminate his primary target. Notes Battle will be 5 vs 5 and set in a city with forest around it. Votes must have good spelling, punctuation and grammar. Votes must also be at least one paragraph long and readable. Voting ends on the 1st of April. Note: This is just a break battle, therefore it will not coincide with my current season. Note: Strikers are effectively brass throwing clubs but can double as fistloads for close quarters.